Propeller meter



P. JACUSIS PROPELLER METER Jan. 5, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5,1951 ENTOR. dacwoas' TEN ll Jan. 5, 1954 I P, JACUSISI 2,664,746

PROPELLER METER Filed D90. 3, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .175 v 11v VEN TOR.

flier facmsas 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 ji JJCMZIJI P. JACUSIS PROPELLER METERJan. 5, 1954 Filed Dec. 5, 1951 v Q 0 C r 4 6 Patented Jan. 5, 1954UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROPELLER METER Peter J acusis, Chicago,111.

Application December 3, 1951, Serial No. 259,641

This invention is concerned with an apparatus for testing propellerthrusts.

It is difficult or impossible to calculate the thrust of propellers suchas aircraft propellers, ships screws, fan blades, and the like. Doublingthe number of blades does not necessarily double the thrust, andchanging the angle of attack of the blades does not change thrustproportional to the angle of attack. Turbulence of the air, water, orother fluid medium is one of the prime factors throwing offproportionals and rendering calculations difilcult or impossible.

An object of this invention is to provide a new or improved apparatusfor testing propellers; specifically for testing propeller thrust.

Another object of this invention is to provide a propeller meter havinga propeller mount yielding proportionally to the thrust of thepropeller.

A further object of this invention is to provide a propeller thrustmeter reading the thrust of the tested propeller directly.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a propeller thrustmeter adapted to test the thrust of propellers of different sizes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a propeller thrusttesting meter having an improved propeller shaft mount.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a propellerthrust testing meter having an improved propeller shaft drive.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent from a study of the following specification when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus embodying theprinciples of my invention for testing air thrust propellers;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the shiftable propellermount taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the propeller mount taken along the line4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side view partially in section showing a modificationof theapparatus of Fig. 1 for testing water thrust propellers;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the thrust indicator andtaken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the lineof Fig. 5 and showing the driving mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal view of the driving mech- 8 Claims. (01. 73-140)anism and taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

i Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical view partially in section taken alongthe line s-S of Fig. 5 and showing the propeller shaft mount;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section view along the line Fig. 11 is a detailedview of a portion of the drive mechanism of the first embodiment andgaken substantially along the line ll--|l of Fig.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view substantially along the line l2l2 of Fig.11;

r-1g. 13 is a iragmentary view taken substantially along the line Iii-I3of Fig. 2 and showing details of construction of a portion of thepropelier mounting mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view along the line I l-l4 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of theinvention and similar to Fig.

II, the view being taken substantially along the verse motor supporttaken along the line |9l9 of Fig. 16,

Referring first to Figs. 1-4 and 11-14, there is shown an embodiment ofmy invention adapted for testing air thrust propellers such as aircraftpropellers and ventilating fans. The apparatus mciudes a base orpedestal 36 having a. pair of upstanding supports 32 at either end of alongitudinal support member 34 which preferably comprises a pair oflaterally spaced, parallel T- shaped beams or members 36. The upstandingsupports 32 are substantially U-shaped and are inverted. Feet 38 areprovided beneath the opposite ends of the longitudinal support 34 forsupporting the base or pedestal 30. The upper port1ons or bights of theU-shaped end supports 32 are provided with filleted legs ll extendingdownwardly to cross braces 43 (Fig. 3) between the longitudinal members36, and the legs 4! and supports 32 are apertured to receive a propellershaft 40.

ing its largest diameter to the right or outside.

A frusto-conica-l plug 59 fits in the bore or aper:

ture 48 and is provided with a cylindrical cenaar bore 52 for receivingthe right end of the propellen shaft 40. A nut 54 is threaded on theouter right end of the propeller shaft 48. Proper ad justment of the nut54 allows the plug iii-landv right shaft end to be wedged tightly intoposition atethe same; ii iailie it e s; nedesd;- eii=se$i;- tion. Adrive pulley 56 is rotatably mounted on ha ree l e s am m anest; a ai ifriq: ps-tea ing su s s ee P iea i.; .fi i'ie between the shait fill nd69 off the pul y-,HT1 g lews as w i-i iiqn iri ll of the shaft 46 by apair of antifrictign. washers fil and a pair of collars 52 and as fiicedto the Shaft by .mee s u .es eii e s ii, h -b llet washes? See n nd. 12includes a substantially V-shaped rim 68 a es rom-the hub te b iarpa r.Qf spok sw- The spokes include central portions lz intejgral itat e r6%. nd s vin mc'a e er n s apes c e wq .eh e eet th he but s The id sbihee ei pb fii e are concave at T3 for accgfrnrnod ing br ass bear nesieves it; ,9 7 li 'i hiei i ab' es sleeves la and are threaded into thehub 5.8. J amnutsjia are threaded onthe screws it against the hub Be,fitting inte recesses in. the hub, for lock ng the screw's in pos tionlThe so cal heads 8ll'fit within counterbored apertiiresin the riin en ard q a e rmp i i 31? 1 th e. i media el ladiec'e h head eese the brasssleeves l5" inwardly -from the ii mL A p roxima ely in e h.- iiel v e ew the ends on he s'l yes l4 amnesia nuts and'enlarg'edshoulderportions'82 to allow freeqmm m vemen efim l e s r l.

belted pas s over the ("pulley 56 and is d rlven by an'y convenint'power source Such as ane l e ctric 'motor 85' (Fig.3).

A yoke. .86 (Rigs. 1-4) is rotatably. mounted on th e shaft l{ll al1dlollipliscs a pair o f shaped members having longitudinalandftransversearms 88 and, 9;!) respectively. The-tip of eacn1pnsitiidin1ta m 883s, substantially trape zoid'a lin t rm as shown at 532m Figs.'11 and 13 and fits within a complementary shaped 'grove inthe'oppositetransverse arm 90. The'trap'ezoidalfshapeprevents outwardmovement of each of, the longitudinararms '88 rom the tropes-tietransverse arm 9'0. screws 93' passing through the tips; 92" andint'othe transverse arms "90 preventr'elativ'e axial m vement of'the twonegated pieces. The edges of'the transverse arms '90 are provided with'pointed edges 56 asshown inTFi'g. i forreducing"airiresistance. Eachofthe transverse-armsflll'is provided with an emarges 'ana aperturedcentralfportion for receiving a' shaft 49. Each of th transverse arnisstis'fornied with an inwardly directed boss 98 aperture'd for reqeirtgoijaer ns-f e r'eb rih ll w having a-beveledfaceto provide a knife edge 1132is fitted within the aperture in the leftmost transverse arm 90 and boss98 (Fig. 2). The knife edge I92 is adapted for cooperation with scalemarkings I04 preferably provided with suitable indicia in thrust unitssuch as foot-pounds. The right transverse arm 92?: (Fig. 2) receives anelongated bearing sleeve [Gd having a threaded outer end use. Inaddition to the inner hub 98 on the right transverse arm 8 3, an outerhub 18 (Figs. 2, 4, 13, and 14) is provided on the rightarm S0. Theouter hub I03 is provided with a pair ofdiametrically spaced slots H0for receiving tongues H2 0n,a propeller mounting ring H4. The propellerlifi to be tested is secured by rivets H8 or other suitable means to thering H4 which fits over the: outerhend of the bearing sleeve I54. Theinterfitting of the tongues H2 and slots H6 insures rotation or thepropeller with the bearing sleeve lQ-tgand yoke 85. A locking ring I20is threaded on the threaded outer end portion I06 of the bearing sleeveHi4 and clamps the propeller I16 and propeller hioiint'ir'rg ring IM'tightly against the outer hub [081 v The apparatus;iswnpieted by a'jconspring I22 compressed between the collar 62" fixed on the sh'aftdil andthe sleeve bearing learned in theyoke 86 and a "any slidable' onjtheShaft)? The spring :22 nsrman maintains the yoke iii its extremeleftir'i'o'st position as shown in Figs;

1 ,andl2 with the elongated sleeve bearing 14' impinging against thecollar 64 fixed on the shaft 88'. s r

Rotationof the piilley 56 bythje' beltt'll causesa pair of the brass,bearing sleeves 'lfit'o inipihge against the longitudinal yokearms seassnewn in Fig. 11,. the firearms preferably being substfa htially sbiengas s wn inFi'gi urn-beste gagernent'. linpiiiging of the brass bearingsleeves 74 of messages TB a'g'aihsttlielongitudinal. yoke, arms .83;causes rotatiiioi the yoke and consequently (it tnegpro ene ll5i Thethrust exerted by the pro'peller'l It on the aircauses the yoke t bedrawn tome right a ai st the action or the s g 122'; an the thrust canbe readdire'ctlyffro ,the scale'mfarkings 194* as t ey. appear. againstthe knife edge" I02"'of the bearing H391 It will be apparent thattherotational sheet can be varied by'h'aving as a sewer source, by ,7onthe power source or k able. speed; changing nie'cha'ni testing or,preparer .o'v'e'r aeo'n tie s-seemed rain to accommodate preparers-ordiffer chi; sizes. a

A modified form of the invention but utilizing the basic concepts, is'Sl'ioii/Il {in Figs,

conical plugs i314. f t into tropriy astea "aperw enieen s meeqie tt maing the shaft in and are clampedji'nto pl'a'c eby nuts l 3}? threaded ontheends of. th'e Shaft. The projections [3& are sealed; against leakingvQf water by the provision of. atesorbulkheadsl elded eea h fw d'i- 12tions outwardly of the slots T33. The plates br bulkheads I38 areprovided with central a'perl tures for passage of the shaft I32 andthese aper- 4 eter than the width of the tub. The lowermost 1 part ofthe channel is provided with a drain hole closed by a screw plug I68 andclamping a rubber washer or gasket I59 beneath the screw head and on thebottom of the channel.

The gear Itii is rotatably mounted on a fixed propeller shaft I32 andincludes a ring I52 having peripheral teeth. A pair of spokes I54 issecured to the ring I52 by means such as welding and extends inwardlytherefrom to the hub I56 (Fig. The inner end of each spoke IE4 is con-'-cave for engagement with the hub I56 which is in the form of acylindrical sleeve. A pair of arms I58 extends outwardly from near theinner end of each spoke its and at an angle to the spoke. The "heads IE3of screws I62 fit in apertures near the ends of the arms, and theapertures may be counterbored if desired. The inner ends of the screwsI62 are threaded into the hub I56, and a collar or nut I M is threadedon each screw I62 for clamping against the hub I56 and thus locking thescrews in place. Brass bearing sleeves I66 are positioned bythe armsIdtand nuts led on the screws I62. A'bearing sleeve I58 fits within thehub use and-is locked against it.

The bearing I58 and sleeve I56 are fixed against axial shifting by meanssuch as a pair of washers (not shown) and a pair of collars I'II asshown in Fig. 5.

The testing apparatus includes a yoke 86a similar to the yoke 85previously described and differing therefrom only in having thepropeller end of the yoke urged away from the gear I46. The ships screwor other water propeller IIIia is mounted on the yoke in a similarmanner to that in which the air propeller H5 is mounted. The coil springI22a normally urges the yoke 86a and propeller or screw H611 to theright as shown in Fig. 5. Rotation of the gear Hit and hence of the yoke86a and propeller Ilsa forces the yoke and propeller to the left againstthe action of spring I22a.

A sleeve I 55 fits over the shaft I32 immediately to the left of theyoke 86a and in contact therewith. A pointer I5? is riveted, bolted, orotherwise suitably secured to an upstanding flange IBI on the sleeveI55. The pointer I5'I has an upper end of triangular cross section asshown in Fig. 6 and fits in a slot I 63 in a plate I 65 secured to therim of the tub by means such as screws I6? and extending inwardly fromthe end of the tub. Suitable scale markings and indiciaits are providedon the plate I65 for cooperation with an edge of the pointer to read thepropeller thrust directly in suitable units such as foot-pounds. Thesleeve I55 is pushed to the left by the yoke 86a and may be left at itspoint of maximum displacement so that the pointer I5'Iwill read themaximum thrust, or means may be provided for maintaining the sleeve I55in engagement with the end of the yoke. Such means might consist of acoil spring I'Is compressed between the sleeve I 55 and the left inwardprojection I39. In this case it will be understood that the springsI220; and I'Ifi together make up the force against which the propellerthrust must act and the two springs will be suitably calibratedtogether.

The drive gear I46'is driven bya gear I12 on the output shaft of a motor"4. -Both of the gears I46 and I12 preferably are herringbone gears asshown in Figs. 5 and 8. Means is provided for supporting the motor atdifferent heights so that the size of the gear I72 can be 1 varied inorder to provide different operational speeds. This means comprises atransverse motor support I'IB (Figs. 5, 8, 16, and 19) secured across.

the top of the tub adjacent the gear I46 by means such as screws I78.The transverse motor support I'is comprises an open frame member of flatconstruction and having rigidifying ribs I86. A solid centralrectangular plate or platform I82 comprises an integral part of thetransverse motor support and is provided near its periphery with groovesI8 3 in its top surface.

A rectangular box-like structure I86 (Figs- 5 and 18) having four sidewalls is provided with depending ribs I88 on its lower edges. These ribsv fit into the grooves I84 of the central platform I952. The top edge ofthe box-like structure I86 is provided with grooves I] and a motorplatform I92 (Figs. 5 and 1'7) is provided with depending ribs I94fitting into the grooves I90. The motor platform is provided withsuitable apertures I96 for receiving mountingbolts securing the motoragainst the top of the platform. The platform is centrally bored at I98,and the central plate or platform I82 of the transverse motor support isbored at 29!} in alignment with the bore I98. A

single bolt passed through the apertures or bores I98 andilifl clampsthe motor platform down against the box-like structure I86 and clampsthe box-like structure down against the central plate or platform I82.The cooperating ribs and grooves assure perfect alignment of the motorplatform I92, box-like structure I86, and central plate or platform I82.

A plurality of box-like structures I86 of different heights is providedand these structures are changed at the same time as the gear I12 sothat the gear I12 at all times remains properly meshed with the drivegear I46.

It is apparent that in both modifications of my invention I haveprovided a propeller meter or apparatus for measuring the thrust ofpropellers in any fluid medium and reading thethrusts directly infoot-pounds or other units. Although two specific forms of the inventionhave been shown and described, it is to be understood that this is forillustrative purposes only and. my invention includes all that whichfalls within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A propeller thrust testing meter comprising a shaft, propellermounting means, said mounting means being movable substantially axiallyof said shaft in response to propeller thrust reaction, resilient meansnormally biasing said mounting means to a given position, means forrotating said propeller mounting means, indicating means, saidindicating means being continuously readable, and means for actuatingsaid indicating means in accordance with the substantially axialmovement of said propeller mounting means.

2. A propeller thrust testing meter comprising a shaft, propellermounting means, said mounting means being movable substantially axiallyof said shaft in response to propeller thrust reaction, a springnormally biasing said mounting means to a given position, rotary drivingmeans secure for movement with said propeller mounting means. indicatingmeans, and means for actuating said amazes-l indicating means in,acaordance with the substantially axial movementmf; the moyahlez part.of; said: propeller testing means;

3,. A -propeller thrust testing; mater comp ise ing: a shaft; means for;fixed-1rmoun in sa' Y shaft; propeller moun in means:-v rotatab e"mounted. on: saidshaft; and; movable; longitudie nallyof theshafhinresponse, tomropellier thrust reaction, resilient :means forresisting; axial mov mentof the.propellermountianindicatorion saidishaft: and' movable; longitudinally thereonwitlr saicl propellermountinimeans, ands'a, scale, hav.- ing indicial cooperable; witha saidiindicaton.

4'. A propeller; thrust. testing meter as; setforth in claim 3' whereinthe scale and indiciaaarex on the shaft and the; indicator comprises: a:line; on said propeller mountingmeans;

5. A propeller thrust testing-meter-assetforth inzclaim- 3 whereinthe-scale includes a: bifurcated" memberhaving the; indicia thereon; andthe: in-

dicatorincludes a. pointerpositioned between the bifurcations.

6'. A propeller thrust: testing metercomprising: ashaft, supports at.opposite endsv of saidshaft; conical portions atthe. ends of said shaftiforwedging said shaft in said supports, propeller mounting means on.said, shaft and: rotatable abouttheaxis of said shafit, at leashaipartof said: mounting means beingmovablesubstantiallyaxi-..

ally of said shaft in response to propeller thrust reaction, resilientmeans for resisting axial movement of the propeller mount: meansforrotating; said propeller mount; and an-indicatoroperable i accordancewith e s bs nti l y a al BQ enisci sai zmo nt ns meanszpa to h ate h prpelle hrus 7i, Apropellenthrust testing meter comprising =prope1lermntin m ans agai s p l er thrustlr eaction, means for rotating saidpropeller mounting; means, a fixed; scale arranged parallel to the axisof said shaft, and an indicator coop,- erable withisaidscale and-movablelongitudinally ofitheaxisofsaid shaft with-the propeller mount- 8;, A,propeller: thrust, testing meter forwater as; set forth in claim: 7, andfurther including a tub, wherein said; fixed scale arranged: parallel tothe axis; of; said shaft comprises a fixed plate securedto the rim of;the tub and extending infrom the end of: the ub- PETER J ACUSIS,

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954,077 Clement V Apr. 5, 19-10 ---'----r' 1"": lifi29ll'le MascQlo V.=iy 17, ,9 7 1,775,756 Frohwerk; p Sept. 16, 1930

